Ben Affleck Thought He 'Hallucinated' Mrs. Obama

By KRISTA WICK

February 25, 2013

First Lady Michelle Obama's surprise appearance to announce Argo's Best Picture win remains one of Oscar Sunday's most unexpected moments. Ben Affleck, who accepted the honor with fellow producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov, said the experience was so surreal, he was convinced he'd hallucinated Mrs. Obama during the ceremony.

"I was just asking those guys outside, 'Was that Michelle Obama?'," said a dazed Affleck in the Academy press room after his big win. "I was sort of hallucinating when that was happening…It just seems like it's natural because the whole thing is so unnatural."

"The whole thing kind of overwhelmed me at the time but, in retrospect, the fact that it was the First Lady is an enormous honor," he explained. "And the fact that she clearly surrounded herself by service men and women was special and I thought appropriate."